'Snapshot' of life in Gwalia's glory days

Shire of Leonora manager of economics and heritage services Elaine Labuschagne said the "mass exodus" was what made Gwalia so special.

"It wasn't always an easy life [in Gwalia]," she said.

"I've read stories of women arriving at the train station and saying 'this is a mistake ... this can't be where we have to get off'.

Ms Lauschagne said people took what they had when they left, leaving the town "a snapshot in time of what it was like".

"It's really significant and [these are] one of the only examples of miners' cottages in Western Australia," she said.

"It's a lot of funding that's required to maintain a place like this, but because of its significance — not just for the Goldfields and Western Australia, but for Australia as well — it is important that we maintain it and preserve it.

"There was such a good sense of community here and that's what people remember."